I followed Jules into the bedroom and stayed by the door while she approached the cluster of framed photos on the dresser. They all featured a beautiful older woman with red hair, obviously her mom. In one, she was wearing a gown and smiling at a fancy-looking party; in another, she was being crowned Miss Teen Whittlesburg, according to the sash across her chest.
There were no photos of anyone else, including Jules.
“I thought she would have at least one photo of me,” Jules murmured, running her hand over the teen pageant picture. “All these years…” She shook her head and let out a self-deprecating laugh. “It was stupid. I held out hope, but Adeline’s never cared much about anyone except herself.”
An ache bloomed in my chest. Neither of us had model parents, but I hated seeing her hope vanish. “I’m sorry, Red.”
“Don’t be.” Jules dropped her hand before facing me. “We can leave. We have a flight to catch, and I got what I wanted.”
“What’s that?”
“Closure.”
Closure.
The word echoed in my mind during our ride to the airport.
Maybe that was what I needed with Michael. I’d avoided contacting him for two years, thinking that was the solution to my problem. All it’d done was allow thoughts of him to fester like cancer. Slow, invisible, and gradually bleeding me of life until I was nothing but a shell of myself.
The monsters in our imagination are often worse those in reality.
The sudden, blinding clarity sliced through me like a blade.
“You okay?” Jules asked after we passed through security. Whittlesburg was so close to Columbus it took us less than an hour to arrive at the airport. “You look delirious.”
“Yep,” I said, still high from my discovery. It was so fucking obvious I felt like an idiot for not thinking of it earlier, but we were the blindest when it came to our own lives.
I didn’t look forward to seeing Michael, but it’ll be like ripping off a Band-Aid. Once I did it, I could finally move on. I was sure of it.
Closure.
The answer had been there all along.
“We spent two whole days together and didn’t kill each other.” Jules cocked an eyebrow as we picked up sandwiches and chips from one of the airport’s delis and settled at a table in the food court. Our flight didn’t leave for another seventy-five minutes, so we had time to kill. “We’re making progress.”
“It was a day and a half, tops.” I smiled, welcoming the shift to a lighter tone after the heaviness of our morning. Sadness lingered in Jules’s eyes, but she seemed determined to leave the past behind her. “We still have some time left.”
“How reassuring.” She bit into her sandwich, chewed, and swallowed before adding hesitantly, “I’ve been thinking about what you said at Bridget’s wedding…”
My pulse quickened. “Yeah?”
“You might be right.” She didn’t look at me, but pink crept over her cheeks. “About there being a difference between what something is supposed to be and what it actually is.”
The quickening turned into a roar. Warmth glowed in my chest and filled some of the cracks that had formed over the years.
“I’m always right.” It was all I could do to suppress a grin.
I’d never wanted an exclusive relationship. It came with too many expectations, and honestly, I’d never liked anyone enough to go on more than three dates with them.
Lusted for, sure. Liked? No.
But with Jules…fuck, I didn’t even know how it happened. I liked her, even when she pissed me off, which was half the time. Our arguments lit me up more than my conversations with anyone else did, and when we actually talked, she was the only person I felt like who got me. The only person who saw past the doctor, the playboy, the adrenaline junkie, and every other mask I wore to hide the messy imperfect pieces underneath.
I swallowed the odd lump in my throat while Jules rolled her eyes and smiled. “Always modest.”
“That too.”
Her smile widened, and our gazes lingered for a moment before her expression turned serious again. “So, what does that mean for us?”
Good question. I had no experience with the whole relationship thing, but…
“It means we should probably go on a date.” My grin exploded at the way her eyes widened. “Don’t look so shocked. It’s a date, Red. Not a marriage proposal.”
“Obviously,” she huffed, though the nervous look in her eyes remained. “I’ve been on dates before.”
My smile slipped at the reminder.
Of course Jules had been on dates before. That didn’t mean I wanted to think about it.
A ribbon of possessiveness unfurled in my stomach, and it took all my willpower not to grill her for the full name, number, and address of every guy who’d ever fucking touched her.
“Not with me.” I rubbed a speck of sauce from the corner of her mouth. My thumb lingered on her bottom lip, and dark satisfaction flared through me when her breath hitched. “When I take you out, it’ll be the best damn date you’ve ever had.”
“Your ego truly knows no bounds.” The breathlessness of her voice erased the sting of her insult.
I leaned forward and replaced my thumb with my lips. “Let’s make a bet, Red.” My mouth brushed over hers—not in a kiss, but in a promise. “I bet after our date, you won’t even be able to think about another man.”
The last part came out as a low growl.
Jules audibly swallowed. “You’re setting very high expectations, Chen.”
My smile returned. “Don’t worry. I never set expectations I can’t meet.”
JULES
It was strange.I’d left for Ohio, expecting it to be a nightmare, and I returned realizing it was a catharsis.
The trip took the messy, blurred pieces of my life and threw them into sharp relief.
Alastair was dead and couldn’t hurt me anymore.
My mom was dead, and no matter how much I agonized over what ifs, she was never coming back.
Max remained a threat, but he’d been oddly silent for a while. Until he made his next move, there wasn’t much I could do.
And Josh…Josh was one of the few bright spots in my shitshow of a life. Changing our relationship from enemies with benefits to dating was like jumping off a cliff—it could end in the most exhilarating rush of my life or total disaster.
But I already had enough regrets. I didn’t want Josh to be one of them.
Sometimes, you had to take a leap or risk getting stuck forever.
“What do you think?” I turned slowly, letting Stella examine my outfit.
Josh and I had our first official date today, but no matter how much I cajoled, threatened, and bribed him, he’d remained tight-lipped about what we were doing, so I was flying blind when it came to the dress code. His only guidance was to dress nice but not too nice, which was no freaking help at all.
After much agonizing, I’d settled on a blue sundress with sandals and styled my hair in a high ponytail to stave off the sweltering June heat. It was fun, flirty, and casual enough for a stroll in the park but dressy enough for a nice restaurant.
At least, I hoped so.
Stella assessed me from head to toe before giving me a thumbs up. “Perfect.”
Thank God. I didn’t have time to change. I was already running late.
Since Josh couldn’t pick me up from my house, I met him in Georgetown as requested.
Flutters filled my stomach when I spotted him waiting at our designated meeting spot.
White button down. Dark jeans. Tousled hair. So gorgeous it made my heart hurt.
I kind of wished we still hated each other because our relationship was not great for my cardiac health.
“Hey, Red.” Josh looked me over, his eyes heating. “Nice to see you looking presentable for once.”
“Nice to see you looking human for once.” I gave him an equally deliberate once-over. “How much did you pay for the skin suit to cover up your devil’s horns and reptile skin?”
“It was free. I’m just that charming,” he drawled.
“I think the seller was just scared you’ll suffocate him with your giant ego if you didn’t leave soon.”
His laugh rolled through me like molten caramel, rich and sweet. “I fucking missed you.”
I fell into step beside him as we walked down the street toward our mysterious destination. “It’s been three days.”
“I know.”
The flutters intensified. Dammit. When he wasn’t being an ass, he could be so…sweet.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?” I was too curious not to ask. Why hadn’t Josh asked me to meet him at the date spot instead of some random street corner?
He heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Patience.”
“I don’t know what that is, but it sounds boring.” I stifled a laugh when he side-eyed me.
“You’re insufferable.”